Health Care Benefits Unions Not Citizens

Both current versions of proposed health-care reform bills are not clear as to who they really benefit and why the Democrats have been shoving it down the American peoples' throats. It has less to do with providing universal health-care and more to do with increasing the rosters of labor unions. President Obama went as far as courting union members at an AFL-CIO convention, stating:

“We’ve been hearing a lot of stuff from folks who aren’t that friendly to me, or the union movement...So let’s just take a stroll down memory lane. Let’s just remember where we were when I took the oath of office.”

Well, I'm waiting for you to tell me Mr. President, where were we then and where are we now? As most people can see things have not changed, other than the size of the federal deficit which, if I remember correctly, was a selling point on the campaign trail that the Bush administration put the American people in a hole. If your argument Mr. President is that your administration has made significant improvements on the quality of life for the American public it is one you've lost.

But the administration has to make a tough decision, either they press on with the health-care fight or they give some concessions and fight for greenhouse-gas emissions regulations, they can't have both. The same union members the President solicited for support of health-care reform are the people who stand to lose their jobs if tougher regulations on greenhouse-gases are passed. Places like Ohio and western Pennsylvania would be devastated from the emissions caps where many of the residents are employed in the steel and coal industries, places where union membership runs strong.

Also important to note is the Senate version of the bill which would allow for forced unionization schemes, such as those instituted former Governors Rod Blagojevich in Illinois and Gray Davis of California. In both states, unions received a windfall from this legislation by reclassifying in-home health-care contractors and child-care contractors as state employees, thus forcing them to pay union dues. The Senate bill follows this scheme by creating a "personal care attendants workforce advisory panel" which would likely impose union affiliation to qualify for reimbursement plans.

The House version goes even further. H.R. 3200 Section 225(A) grants the Secretary of Health and Human Services discretionary authority to regulate workers under the public health insurance option. If this doesn't scare you then you probably shouldn't be reading this article in the first place. Under this authority, the Secretary could, through her own discretion, require thousands of doctors and nurses throughout the country to pay union dues. These dues could be made mandatory in order to participate in the program, thus effectively blackballing those who choose not to affiliate from providing care under this program.

Additionally, Sen. Max Baucus has suggested the government could pay for health-care reform by taxing workers' existing health-care benefits, but would exempt union-negotiated health-care plans. This plan could impose costs of up to $20,000 per employee on non-union businesses. The President called out to union members saying:

"As long as you've got an ounce of fight in you, I've got a ton of fight in me...I've said it before: I'm skinny, but I'm tough. So give it to me guys."

I say the American people take the President up on his offer; let's give it to him. He said it, he's tough, he can take it. So when you write, email, or call your elected representative remember the President's challenge. This is not just another political debate, it is a fight for values, American values. If you want big government to take control of another portion of your life, then by all means stand behind the President, Ms. Pelosi, and Mr. Reid. But, if you have had enough of this debacle it's time to stop being spectators on the sidelines and answer this call to arms. It's your country and only you can protect it; every vote and every voice counts, don't waste yours!